Process of making leather flexible.



G. BASLER. PROCESS OF MAKING LEATHER FLEXIBLE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1912.

1,062,947. Patented ma 27, 1913 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wkzws a: I jw emiorz BASLER rnocnss or MAKIN G LBAT'HER FLEXIBLE.

AP-PLIOATION FILED MAR. 28, 1912.

Patented May 27, 1913,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

sides alike so that it one side becomes water UNITED sTATns PATENT OFF-ICE.

GEORGE BASLER, LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BASLEB MACHIPTERY COMPANY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMAINE."

PROCESS OF MAKING LEATHER. FLEXIBLE.

1 ore-e491. Original applieatlon filed March 15, 1912,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, lnonun BAsLnR, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lynn, county of Essex, State (it/Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Processes ot' ll'laking, Leather Flexible, '5 which the following: description is a specification.

My invention is a process of making leather flexible, and relates particularly to such heavy leather as is used in the manufacture of shoes, 'iarticularly sole leather, taps, and the, like.

7 Many. inventions have been made and suggested for flexing leather and otherwise rendering the same flexible and pliable, but most of these result in either making the leather spongy or porous, or treating both absorbent as a result of the treatn'ient, the other side becomes so likewise. It is often advisable, however, to have the flexibility provided largely by the treatment of one side only. Accordingly, my invention aims to meet all the usual requirements of the most exacting shoe trade in the above and H other respects.

In carrying out my invention I combine ineclunical chemical treatment in such cooperative relation to each other that the leather is rendered highly flexible Without, however, destroying the filling material or unevenly bleaching the. leather, or in any \va injuring or deteriorating the leather, either in lilli'itkll'fllltftl or quality.

l first provide a suitable bath, which may be simply of an aqueous character or'it may be of a more penetrating character, contai 'iing soapy substances, alkalis, and other i-leuning, penetrating, oiicning, softening, bleaching. and plosorvative ingredients. The articular ingredients used for the lvlniu-i'i g iluid with which the leather is treated may \ary widely for different kinds of leather and conditions thereof, and the invention is to he understood not limited io any particular ingredients, though I have. found in practiciithat, along with a. soapy substance and bleaching: ingredients, the salts oi the alkali and alkaline earth metals are eii'cctivc, such the sulfate. and bin-ates thereof. The particular substances and their proportions are in any lien case selected with reference to the sp cial quality of the leather to be treated.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 684,065. 1912. Serial No. 536.873.

Patented May 2'7, 191 3.

Divided and this application filed March 28,

An illusiratiye composition and formula ell adapted f0 use in the present proceis disclosed in my co-pending' application, Serial No. 694,559, filed May 1, 1912.

My presentmention is not limited to the. asset any specific formula, but the tempering fluid used preferably contains suitable relatively small quantities of borax, Epsom salts, some mild acid'a'dapted to bleach and clean, and soap, all'in' an aqueous solution. This fluid has among its other properties a cleansing and bleaching action and by such cleansing as used in the present description and claims, I mean a cleansing more. especially of the grain surface of the leather, not in the sense that there is anything removed from the surface by the fluid compound, butthe latter including thecleansing ingredients, by striking into the stock leaves the grain surface clean and bleached. Having prepared this bath, I apply the same thereto either with. or without simultaneous manipulation of the leather.

Preferably the leather is flexed backward to a degree that its convex surface is placed under tension sutlicient to open the pores and by the term flexing as used in the present description and the claims, I mean a bending; of the leather in a curve of small enough radius relative to the thickness of the stock so thatthe convex tensioned surface is stretched to a degree su ficient-to loosen the fiber and open the pores; the penetrating tempering fluidis applied to said surface of the leather at near thet-ime this tensionin; from the flexing takes place so that the striking in of the fluid is greatly accelerated and thus the flexing of the stock cooperates with the tempering fluid application to complete the tempering operation; This application of the liquid to the leather is copious enough thoroughly to impregnate said surface, but preferably not soas to penetrate to the opposite side of the leather piece. Then the leather is rapidly flexed with such .niovemei'it. as to bring said im pregnaie'd side of the leather under repeated tension or stretching until the liquid has thus been caused to permeate all the fibers of that side of the leather.

My object is to churn, as it were, the cleansing and loosening, opening liquid back and forth through the pores and grain of the leather until all the minute particles of the leather on the 'side'b'eing stretched I have been loosened and egitated in direct contact with and undefthepermanent permeeting influence of the bath with which; said surface is soaked. If, for instance the leather were simplydipped in a pail of the fluid, the leather would be soaked more or less, but the fluid would not be distributed and would not come into thorough softening influence" and relation to leach grain as it were, but insteadthereof the fluid would be very unevenly distributedyss it would gain ready access to those pened to be course, all where the grain ence of the softening fluid oduces-a permanence of flexibility, so that the leather.

thereafter does not harden when the fluid has dried out, but maintains 'a permanent flexibility or extreme pliability.

No specific mechanism is necessary for carrying out my process in its broader as pects, butI have herein shown an illustratwo form of apparatus well adapted for Subject matter carryingout the more specific steps of the process, this apparatus being similar to that shown and claimed in my co ending application Seriel No. 684,069 filbd March 15, 1912, of which this case is a division, and the present invention being first shown in my earlier co ending application Serial No. 659,739 filed ovember 1, 1911, of which the claimed in the present case is a continuation.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine wherein my im-' provements are embodied; F 1g. 2 IS an elevation partly in section, showing a ortion of the valve controlling mechanism; ig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through. my improved tank for supplying the tempering fluid; Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof;

ig. 5 is a transverse section through said tank; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, showing a part of the connection for automatically controlling the supply of tempering fluid. I

The general construction of the machine is similar to that of my aforesaid appliczr tion, and comprises a frame 10 having journaled therein :1 series of rollers, around which are pus-ml two taut belts 11, 12 for feeding the s les to the tem ering station, and thereafter holding the so es grip ed be- .tween them as they are bent around t e flexor portions of the leather where the arsnip:

and would not ester at y r however, produces absoluteuniformity Bethe mechanical stretchinfgqand tensioning of the leather surface-in the pres the soles pressure exerted on thejupper me byithe roll 17. Thence the Sales are ed to the tempering station 18 between t1 3 two belts, and just before reaching said station, the lower belt is looped over rollers 19, 20, 21 around the receptacle for. thd tempering fluid, the top of this receptecle being in position so that thesoles, a's'fed thereto by the two belts, are moved thereover in contact with the receptacle top by the pressure and tractive impulse of the iupper h'elt. Th'roller 21 is in such posi .tion "beyond the upper portion of the temfiqingfiuid m tacle that the two belts is "onghttogether thereover -asid again the soles after they have passed over ether-esca ees and carry them around a lowenl'fleiiing roller 22 to bend them in one directionfimd thence over an upper flexing rollerfli in the o posits direction, so as to bend them reverse y. Thence the lower belt 12 passesuround roller 24 take-up roll 24, rollers 25 and'26 back to the feeding mouth 15,-and the upper belt passes around uv tension roller 27 inposition to keep the upper belt pressed against the soles and the lower belt, this roller being pressed outward by s. spring 28, the tension of which is deter mined by an adjusting backing 29, so that the belt is kept under proper tension. 95 Thence the upper belt passes around roller 30 and take-up roller 31, back over the roller 13 to the feeding mouth. The roller 14% of the lower belt is shown as a tension roller for tensioning the lower beltin like manner as the roller 27 does the upper belt, it be' ing for this purpose pressed outward by a spring 32 having an adjustable backing 33. Thus the soles, while held tightly and uniformly gripped between the belts and just afterthey are treated to the tempering fluid at the station 18, are tensio'ned and stretched in.,a manner to/ open the pores thereof and effect a permanent relative give to the fibrous texture of. the material by bending 119 around the lower flexing roller 22 which especiallyopens the pores at the side of the stock to which the tcmptning fluid was just previously applied, and then around the Tipper flexing roller: 23*whic'h further works and loosens up the fiber-"bf the stock by bending it in the opposite direction. The soles are thus stretched and rendered per manently pliable to ayery marked degree by the combined and cooperative tempering and stretching or pore opening treatment, so that every much improyed produ'ct results and soles'of ordinary orcommon grades of leather attain a perinanent fiexibility and pliability' equal to or fgreetsr than thstlofg gg ;muchhigher priced stock without any o'fi' setting'deterioration or injury of any kind.

My invention provides means whereby the supply of tempering fluid is admitted to the receptacle of the tempering station 18 only I i s 1 ity or otherwise.

-by an extremity of lever 42, fulcrumed at d3 on the frame and having its other end in pivotal connection with a link 44. which extends down through guides 45 for engage ment with the short end 46 of a lever tulcrunied at 47-,the longer arm 48 ofwhich moves in guides 49 and .is eounterweighted. as at 50. The lever end 4 has link conne tion 51 with a lever arm 59. which is connected to operate. a controlling valve or: in a pipe connection 54 supplying tempering fluid under pressure to the ttfi'llltllllg station t'roin any suitable source by gra n Apipe ct;=nnection 5;; extends from the valve to the tempering tion .18 and has a detachable conne tion 37 with an auxiliarv tank 58 adapted to hold the tempering fluid. This auxiliary tank is of generallv triangular cross set-lion with an acute angle at i s bottom eontori'ning to the cross section of the exterior tank .79 and fitting; against one side. of the upper portion thereof as best. seen in Fig. .3. The auxiliary tank has a concave top (30 forming a trough into which the tempering: tluid empties from the inside of the auxiliary tank through a passage (31, so that when the valve 53 is opened the ten'iperinsr fluid. iills the auxiliary tank 5 and flows through the passage 61 to till the shallow trough 60, and keep a continuous bubble of liquid at the top ot the tank. in position to be contacted by the soles as they ar fed thercover. so that thev are ilioroughlr impregnated with the fluid. 'lhe trough portion 60 merges into the side walls of the auxiliary tank at either side in rounded edges, as shown. so that the soles are adapted to slide smoothly thereo er. A block of felt or like absorbent material 62 secured at the side of the auxiliary tank from which the soles are delivered, the top of llllSofQlt piece extending slightly above, the top of the auxiliary tank. This felt piece orblock is held.

spaced away from the adjacent wall of the main tank of h s a. s 'iacing plate 63. of U-i'or i, the aid ,:-5 of this plate extending down to the bottom of the train tank and cooperating to hold the parts in operative position. This spacing" plate is held away from the wall of the main tank, so as to provide a. water passage by adjusting screws hreaded therethrough and engaging the main tank wall. The auxiliary tank is shown as held in the main tank or rrreptzr cle by screw bolts 3!) and may be readily taken out as required l removing these screw bolts.

In operation. as'a sole approaches the teinperiu station. it contacts with the roller ill and presses the same upward againstthe spring 37. thus, through the rods 40, lever 42, link 44. lever 48. and link .31, operating the valve 53 to admit the tempering fluid to th tank. The fluid thereupon flows through the em- (ii and makes a bubble. over the shallow trough 90 during the interval that ll isole is passing thereover, the valve being operated to instantly shutoff the flow of fluid as soon the sole has comnletcly passedunder the roller 34-, and thus )een exposed over its entire surface to the bubble projected up from the trough ('10. it is to be (ilk-L'YVPll that the surface of the sole. as it passes over the trough (30, is thus treated to all the fluid that it can absorb, this fluid being: even fi'irced into the-sole under some little pressure. since the sole substantially (loses the top of the trough as it passes thereover: thus the stock is tliortwgld; impregnated with the tempering fluid. and it passes along, the felt block 422 fulfil the combined function of further prmnoting the even spreading; of the fluid to every part of the sole, and Wipes off any superfluous-tluid that may adhere to the sole surface beyond the amount. capable of being absorbed thrrel'iy. Any excess liquid caught by the adjacent wall 59 of the outer tank and flows down between it and the spacing plate (13 to the lower portion of the nriin tank. where it may be drained oil in an suitable manner.

Haring described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The herein: described process, which consists in treating one side only of leather stock with a penetrating opening surface cleaning fluid. and in'uncdiately thereafter mechanically flexing and working the same side of the stock to loosen and open the fibers and pores thereof.

The herein describcdprocess, which consists in treating leather stock on its grain side only with a penetrating fiberopcning iiuid, and stretching and working the s k h -r flexing the sanieto loosen and open th:

.fihers thereof on the grain side, said steps being carried out as substantially COInponent iarts of a. single operation.

The herein described process, which consists in applying to one side only of the leather stock a copious bath of penetrating fluid in a body of such amount as to impregnate the leather on said side to an appreciablc extent inwardly beneath' the surface. continuing said application progressively lengthwise of the piece of leather, and

then immediately placing the impregnated side under flexing tension to facilitate the as to impregnate the leather on said side to an appreciable extent inwardly beneath the surface, continuing said application progressively lengthwise of the piece of leather, and then immediately placing the impreg: nated side under flexing tension to lacilitate the thorough inwardand lateral distribution of the liquid.

5. The herein described process, which consists in applying to one sideof the leather stock a copious bath of penetratil' g, cleansing and bleaching fluid in a body of suchamount to impregnate the leather on said sidrf'to an appreciable extent inwardly beneath the surface, continuing said application progressively lengthwise of the piece of leather, and then immediately placing the impregnated side under. flexing tensionto facilitate the thorough inward and lateral distribution of the liquid.

6. The herein described process, which consists in applying to one side of the leather stock a copious bath of penetrating fluid in a body of such'amonntas to impregnate the leather on said side to an appreciable extent inwardly beneath the surface, continuing said application progressively lengthwise of the piece of leather,

then immediately sharply bending said leather back on itself so as to place a impr'egn'ated side under strong tension, and. progressively movin said lengthwise'of the leat er.

7. The herein described process which consists in applying to leather stockfa penetrating tempering fluid-and flexing, the stock fihile held strongly and evenly ressed and gripped over all parts of the sur ace thereof.

8. The herein described process which sharp bend consists in pplying a penetrating tempering fluid to leather stock and immediately thereafter flexin the stock in a manner to stretrF and open the pores of the stock while held strongly and evenly pressed upon all the flexed portions of the-surface thereof.

9. The process of treating leather soles, which ,consists in applying a penetrating cleansing tempering fluid thereto and flexing the soles transversely of the length thereof while held strtmgly and evenly ressed over all-ot the llvxerl portions thereo to complete the tempering operation and render them permanently rpliriblc.

tempering operation and to render the soles permanently pliable. In testimony whereof, Ihave signed my name to this s 'iecit'ication, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE BAYSLER.

Di. Annie F. T VVOMEY, /VAILAon C. Vlmorrr. 

